The Discontinuity Guide
The Past Doctor Adventures

Warmonger

May 2002

(Features the Fifth Doctor and Peri between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)

Author: Terrance Dicks

Editor: Justin Richards

Roots: Peri misquotes Churchill and quotes from The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. There are references to Jesse James, Hobbes, Frankenstein, Harrods, Woolworths, the Duke of Wellington, and Nelson.

Goofs: In defiance of plausibility, Peri becomes a hardened guerrilla fighter between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani [her experience would have been useful during the latter]. Later, she encounters Cybermen and Sontarans, despite not knowing what they are in Attack of the Cybermen and The Two Doctors. The Doctor has a first edition copy of The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, as seen in Doctor Who; unfortunately, it has a signed message to the Doctor from the author, raising the question of why the Doctor doesn't recognise him in Timelash. He also claims to be an old friend of Sherlock Holmes, which contradicts All-Consuming Fire [he's name-dropping]. Streg has four fingers, instead of three [or five - see The Sontaran Experiment and Lords of the Storm]. Nardo's name changes to Gargo between chapters [is his full name Nardo Gargo or Gargo Nardo?]. Morbius knows of the Doctor by reputation, despite not seeming to recognize his name in The Brain of Morbius.

It is suggested that Karn is in a different solar system to Gallifrey, which contradicts Cat's Cradle: Times Crucible and Lungbarrow. The only surgeon that the Doctor can think of who can sew Peri's arm back on is the megalomaniac Mehendri Solon. The Doctor seems fairly unconcerned by the presence of the Cybermen, despite the death of Adric in Earthshock. The Cybermen themselves are barely recognizable, with the Cyberleader turning up for a dress parade.

On page 166, it is explicitly stated that Borusa has not yet taught the Doctor at the academy and has not met him yet, but on page 171, it is established that this is a period after the Doctor fled Gallifrey.

Yet again, Dicks has a Sontaran quote Linx verbatim when describing a human female (The Time Warrior).

Dialogue Disasters: Lines uttered (or thought) by the Doctor include 'Because I'll wring your neck if you don't', 'you conceited little swine', 'I'll kill you both', and 'Above all there's war! The greatest and most wonderful game of all', 'unbendingly complex and thrilling and unpredictable'. Peri says at one point 'Somebody get me a hand-blaster, a laser-rifle and a knife!'.

'That is, with your permission Supremo?' and 'It has been an excellent battle' are Cybermen lines.

The Sontarans think that 'Issalon Kwai to Tipperary' is an old Earth battle cry.

Continuity: In his current incarnation, Morbius is under medium height, and very good looking. After Morbius was deposed and exiled, Vice-President Saran assumed his position until another election could be held. Then-Junior Cardinal Borusa chaired the Committee of Enquiry into Morbius' activities and discovered that he had co-conspirators in the CIA. Morbius forms an army of Gaztaks (see Meglos), including the inhabitants of the planets Fangoria, Romark, Darkeen, Martak and Freedonia. He despises non-humanoid life forms. His conquests include Sylvana, Zandir, Tanith and Electra, although the home planet of the Ogrons is dismissed as a dirty rock and abandoned. He adopts the [rather flimsy] alias of General Rombusi to avoid word of his actions reaching Gallifrey. As the General, he wears a red and gold uniform. He first met Solon at an intergalactic medical conference, which he patronized under another alias. Although Solon idolizes him, Morbius has no special interest in him prior to his death and clearly thinks of him as a madman. Whilst he is kept comatose pending execution, Solon removes his brain and places it in a mini-cryogenic unit.

A clan of aristocratic warlords, whose power waned after internal and interplanetary wars, once ruled Karn. Prior to Morbius' attack, Karn is renowned for the Hospice, which treats the wounded soldiers of the numerous warring planets nearby in the galaxy and is considered neutral territory. In order to provide protection should the need arise the Hospice is a semi-military establishment. Solon is Surgeon-General and has an assistant named Drago. The Sisterhood of Karn and the Time Lords are allied under the Pact of Rassilon and the Vision of the Eye (see Cat's Cradle: Times Crucible), which guarantees the Sisterhood the protection of the Time Lords in return for the Elixir of Life. Despite their immortality, the Sisters can be killed by blaster fire, if anyone can get near enough to them.

In order to defeat Morbius, the Time Lords appoint the Doctor the rank of Supreme Coordinator of the Alliance Battle Fleet, a title that is shortened to Supremo by the Ogrons, who can't pronounce his full title. The Time Lords give him a flagship named Alliance. He breaks the neck of the pterodactyl-like creature that attacks Peri with his bare hands. He adopts the alias John Smith whilst on Karn, but drops the Doctor so that Solon wont make the connection in The Brain of Morbius, which is in Solon's future but the Doctors past. Whilst on Karn, he dons a fur coat and boots provided by Hawken, and later a black dress suit. As the Supremo, he wears a black military uniform. In order to visit Gallifrey without being recognized, he adopts the title of Ambassador of Karn, wears an ornate uniform, crops his hair short, and takes a drug to darken his complexion. He carries an Intergalactic Platinum credit card. He builds a triple-band frequency feedback oscillator. The Doctor notes that the pattern of evolution occurs similarly to that on Earth on many planets (see Lucifer Rising).

Peri's arm is almost severed by a hungry pterodactyl. Whilst on Karn, she buys a low-cut red gown. Stranded on Sylvana after being kidnapped by Morbius, she becomes a notorious guerrilla leader (see Goofs).

The TARDIS has an oak-paneled, book-lined study. The Doctor keeps an emergency cryogenic device in a locker in the console room. The Blinovitch Limitation Effect makes short temporal journeys difficult (see Day of the Daleks).

Gallifrey has a small conventional spaceport outside the Panopticon. According to Borusa, the Shobogans like fighting (see The Deadly Assassin). Time Lord trials dont decide anything, they merely confirm a decision that has already been taken.

The Alliance army raised by the Doctor includes Earthmen, Draconians, Cybermen, Ogrons, Ice Warriors and Sontarans. The Doctor describes Gaztaks as space pirates. It is not clear whether any of them are human, although those in Meglos clearly weren't, due to the dating of that story. Sontarans drink vrag and have drums. The Draconians have bagpipes.

The zarak are slender, green-skinned natives of Sylvana. Sylvanan food includes smoked zargil, a swamp fish of legendary ferocity. Akkeen, a local brandy, is lethal to the zarak, who become addicted to it and die within weeks. The barren planet Aridus is inhabited by unintelligent, blue kangaroo-like creatures. Copernicus Three is known for its spaceyards. Denali crewmen are the finest spacefarers in the galaxy.

Drinks seized by the customs officer at the Hospice of Karn include vrag, Algolian wine, and champagne from Copernicus Two.

Links: The story is a prequel to The Brain of Morbius, with appearances by Morbius himself, Solon, Maren and Ohica. There are references to Arcturan wine (see The Curse of Peladon), Drashigs (Carnival of Monsters), Benton, and the Brigadier. The Doctor recalls his maypole experience at Devils End (The Dæmons).

Peri is feeling particularly strained after recent events, which might be a reference to the events of Superior Beings.

Future History: Doctors have to obey the Intergalactic Medical Associations code of conduct. By this time, Earth still has an empire and numerous colonies across the Galaxy. Draconia has an uneasy peace with Earth [setting this story during the latter half of the twenty-ninth century - see Frontier in Space, Original Sin].

Unrecorded Adventures: The Doctor mentions Old Isaac, which is either a reference to Newton (see The Pirate Planet) or Walton (see The Androids of Tara). He may have met the fish people of Aquaria. He has met Hitler before and again mentions having met Napolean Bonaparte (Day of the Daleks).

The Bottom Line: Arguably the worst Doctor Who novel ever written, Warmonger draws heavily upon continuity but is full of mistakes, and cheapens The Brain of Morbius. The characterisation of the Doctor, Peri, Solon, the Sontarans and especially the Cybermen is excruciatingly bad, and Morbius comes across as a paranoid imbecile rather than a charismatic leader who seriously threatens most of the galaxy. Worst of all, there is a nasty misogynistic theme running through the novel, with numerous tasteless references to rape and a general impression that, as a plucky and resourceful woman, Peri is a rarity.